Appleton Thorn

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude= 53.3509
longitude= -2.5401
map_type=Cheshire
official_name= Appleton Thorn
population = 10,477 (2001)
civil_parish=Appleton
unitary_england= Warrington
lieutenancy_england= Cheshire
region= North West England
constituency_westminster= Warrington South
post_town= WARRINGTON
postcode_district = WA4
postcode_area= WA
dial_code= 01925
os_grid_reference= SJ640839

Appleton Thorn is a village and, as "Appleton", a civil parish within the borough of Warrington in Cheshire, England.

Each June, the village hosts the ceremony of "Bawming the Thorn". The current form of the ceremony dates from the Nineteenth century, when it was part of the village’s "Walking Day". It involved children from Appleton Thorn Primary School walking through the village and holding sports and games at the school. This now takes place at the Village Hall. The ceremony stopped in the 1930’s, but was later revived by the then headmaster, Mr. Bob Jones in 1967. "Bawming the Thorn" occurs on the Saturday nearest to Midsummer’s Day. Local schoolchildren dance around the tree.

"Bawming" means "decorating" - during the ceremony the thorn tree is decorated with ribbons and garlands. According to legend, the hawthorn at Appleton Thorn grew from a cutting of the Holy Thorn at Glastonbury, which was itself said to have sprung from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea, the man who arranged for Jesus's burial after the Crucifixion.

Appleton appeared in the Domesday survey as "Epeltune" and means "the tun where the apples grew".

The Appleton Cross near Pepper Street, is a reminder a Warrington friar, Richard de Apulton who was ordained as the sub-deacon at Colwich in 1365.

ee also

*St Cross Church, Appleton Thorn